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GRADE 11 CONSUMER SCIENCES:
JUNE EXAM REVISION NOTES (Term 1 & 2)
Design Elements and Principles
● Colour Theory
○ Colour is what we see when light bounces off objects.
○ The colour name is just the name we give a colour, like blue or red.
○ Colour intensity is how bright or dull a colour is.
○ Colour value is how light or dark a colour is.
○ You can change a colour's value: making it lighter by adding white creates a tint
(like sky blue), and making it darker by adding black creates a shade (like navy
blue).
○ Adding grey makes a colour duller, which is called a tone (like pigeon blue).
○ Colours are grouped:
■ Primary colours are red, yellow, and blue. You can't make them by mixing
other colours.
■ Secondary colours are green, purple, and orange. You get them by mixing
two primary colours equally.
■ Tertiary colours are made by mixing a primary colour with a secondary
colour (like red-orange, blue-green).
■ Neutral colours are black, white, and grey.
○ Colour properties can make us feel different things or see things differently.
■ Warm colours (red, orange, yellow) are on one side of a colour circle called
the colour wheel. They can make a room feel warm. They seem to move
forward and make objects look closer and bigger. They can make people
feel excited and energetic.
■ Cool colours (green, blue, purple) are on the other side of the colour wheel.
They can make a room feel cool. They seem to move back and make
objects look smaller and further away. They can create a calm feeling.
○ The colour wheel helps us see how colours relate to each other. The Prang system
uses a circle with 12 colours.
© Mariska Willers, 2025
, 2
○ Colour combinations or harmonies are how colours look good together.
■ Monochromatic uses just one colour with different lights/darks (tints and
shades).
■ Analogous uses two or three colours that are next to each other on the
colour wheel (like blue, blue-green, green).
■ Complementary uses two colours that are opposite each other on the
colour wheel (like red and green). They create a strong contrast.
■ Double complementary uses two pairs of complementary colours that are
next to each other on the wheel.
■ Triadic uses three colours spaced equally apart on the colour wheel (forming
a triangle).
■ Split complementary uses one colour combined with the two colours next to
its complement.
● Design Elements
○ These are the basic parts used in design.
○ Line is a connection between two points. Lines can create illusions or guide the
eye. Different types include vertical (goes up/down), horizontal (goes left/right),
diagonal (sloped), and curved.
○ Shape is the flat outline of an object, like a square or circle.
○ Form is the 3D shape of an object, like a cube or pyramid.
○ Space is the area around, between, or within objects. Too little space can make
things look confusing.
○ Texture is how a surface looks or feels.
■ Tactile texture is how it feels when you touch it (e.g., soft, rough).
■ Visual texture is how it looks, even if it feels different (e.g., a tile printed to
look like wood). Texture makes designs interesting.
© Mariska Willers, 2025
, 3
● Design Principles
○ These are guidelines for using design elements to make a design look good.
○ Proportion is how the parts of an object or room relate to each other and the
whole. Good proportion looks right; unequal parts can look poor.
○ Balance is about making a design feel stable. Visual weight is spread out.
■ Formal balance means both sides are the same (symmetrical).
■ Informal balance means the sides are different but still balanced.
■ Radial balance means elements are arranged around a central point.
○ Rhythm is created by repeating elements, which makes your eye move through the
design.
○ Harmony is when all the parts of a design work together well.
○ Emphasis is when you make one part of the design stand out as a focal point.
● Application of Design in Clothing
You can use design ideas like colour, line, shape, and texture to choose clothes that look
best for different body shapes. The sources describe common body shapes like
Triangle/pear, Inverted triangle, Rectangle, Oval/apple, and Hourglass.
○ Recommended clothing for each shape aims to balance the figure, create illusions
like a smaller waist or broader shoulders, and draw attention away from areas you
might want to hide. For example, vertical lines can make the upper body look
smaller for an inverted triangle shape, and shaped jackets can create the illusion of
a small waist for a rectangle shape.
● Application of Design in Interior Design
Designing a room means making it functional, safe, and attractive.
○ You use design elements and principles for things like choosing colours, arranging
furniture (proportion and balance), using lines to affect how the room feels
(horizontal for calm, vertical for formality, diagonal for movement), and choosing
textures.
○ Design can help solve problems in a room.
© Mariska Willers, 2025
GRADE 11 CONSUMER SCIENCES:
JUNE EXAM REVISION NOTES (Term 1 & 2)
Design Elements and Principles
● Colour Theory
○ Colour is what we see when light bounces off objects.
○ The colour name is just the name we give a colour, like blue or red.
○ Colour intensity is how bright or dull a colour is.
○ Colour value is how light or dark a colour is.
○ You can change a colour's value: making it lighter by adding white creates a tint
(like sky blue), and making it darker by adding black creates a shade (like navy
blue).
○ Adding grey makes a colour duller, which is called a tone (like pigeon blue).
○ Colours are grouped:
■ Primary colours are red, yellow, and blue. You can't make them by mixing
other colours.
■ Secondary colours are green, purple, and orange. You get them by mixing
two primary colours equally.
■ Tertiary colours are made by mixing a primary colour with a secondary
colour (like red-orange, blue-green).
■ Neutral colours are black, white, and grey.
○ Colour properties can make us feel different things or see things differently.
■ Warm colours (red, orange, yellow) are on one side of a colour circle called
the colour wheel. They can make a room feel warm. They seem to move
forward and make objects look closer and bigger. They can make people
feel excited and energetic.
■ Cool colours (green, blue, purple) are on the other side of the colour wheel.
They can make a room feel cool. They seem to move back and make
objects look smaller and further away. They can create a calm feeling.
○ The colour wheel helps us see how colours relate to each other. The Prang system
uses a circle with 12 colours.
© Mariska Willers, 2025
, 2
○ Colour combinations or harmonies are how colours look good together.
■ Monochromatic uses just one colour with different lights/darks (tints and
shades).
■ Analogous uses two or three colours that are next to each other on the
colour wheel (like blue, blue-green, green).
■ Complementary uses two colours that are opposite each other on the
colour wheel (like red and green). They create a strong contrast.
■ Double complementary uses two pairs of complementary colours that are
next to each other on the wheel.
■ Triadic uses three colours spaced equally apart on the colour wheel (forming
a triangle).
■ Split complementary uses one colour combined with the two colours next to
its complement.
● Design Elements
○ These are the basic parts used in design.
○ Line is a connection between two points. Lines can create illusions or guide the
eye. Different types include vertical (goes up/down), horizontal (goes left/right),
diagonal (sloped), and curved.
○ Shape is the flat outline of an object, like a square or circle.
○ Form is the 3D shape of an object, like a cube or pyramid.
○ Space is the area around, between, or within objects. Too little space can make
things look confusing.
○ Texture is how a surface looks or feels.
■ Tactile texture is how it feels when you touch it (e.g., soft, rough).
■ Visual texture is how it looks, even if it feels different (e.g., a tile printed to
look like wood). Texture makes designs interesting.
© Mariska Willers, 2025
, 3
● Design Principles
○ These are guidelines for using design elements to make a design look good.
○ Proportion is how the parts of an object or room relate to each other and the
whole. Good proportion looks right; unequal parts can look poor.
○ Balance is about making a design feel stable. Visual weight is spread out.
■ Formal balance means both sides are the same (symmetrical).
■ Informal balance means the sides are different but still balanced.
■ Radial balance means elements are arranged around a central point.
○ Rhythm is created by repeating elements, which makes your eye move through the
design.
○ Harmony is when all the parts of a design work together well.
○ Emphasis is when you make one part of the design stand out as a focal point.
● Application of Design in Clothing
You can use design ideas like colour, line, shape, and texture to choose clothes that look
best for different body shapes. The sources describe common body shapes like
Triangle/pear, Inverted triangle, Rectangle, Oval/apple, and Hourglass.
○ Recommended clothing for each shape aims to balance the figure, create illusions
like a smaller waist or broader shoulders, and draw attention away from areas you
might want to hide. For example, vertical lines can make the upper body look
smaller for an inverted triangle shape, and shaped jackets can create the illusion of
a small waist for a rectangle shape.
● Application of Design in Interior Design
Designing a room means making it functional, safe, and attractive.
○ You use design elements and principles for things like choosing colours, arranging
furniture (proportion and balance), using lines to affect how the room feels
(horizontal for calm, vertical for formality, diagonal for movement), and choosing
textures.
○ Design can help solve problems in a room.
© Mariska Willers, 2025
